Lead-in wire anchoring fixture



26, 1954 H. K. TRUNNELL 2,667,530

LEAD-IN WIRE ANCHORING FIXTURE Filed July :5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. Q/aw/dQfTpmneM A7T02-E vs I 1954 H. K. TRUNNELL 2,667,530

LEAD-IN WIRE ANCHORING FIXTURE Filed July 3, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 65 5'7 :1, 54/ 7 INVENTOR. 52 i Wanda/0;. Tau/mew Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEAD-IN WIRE AN CHORING FIXTURE Harold K. Trunnell, Eugene, Oreg.

Application July 3, 1950, Serial No. 171,858

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to apparatus for anchoring electrical power lead-in wires onto buildings.

The electrical codes of many cities require that electrical power lead-in wires be anchored onto the buildings at points spaced a predetermined minimum distance above the ground. In many instances the eaves of sloping roofs on that side of the building facing the power line extend below the required clearance height so that it is necessary to provide some sort of a bracket structure extending above the roof of the dwelling onto which the lead-in wires may be anchored. No fixture has been commercially available heretofore for such purposes so that it has been necessary in each instance to construct some anchoring structure at high cost. Such structures are generally unsightly and usually result in leaks at points where the structural members extend through the roof. It is a general object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved lead-in wire anchoring fixture which is small, compact, rugged, pleasing in appearance and through the use of which lead-in wires may be anchored onto the sloping roofs of relatively low buildings and the like structures and satisfy electrical code requirements as to ground clearance for such wires.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lead-in wire anchoring fixture adapted primarily for anchoring leadin wires onto a sloping roof of a dwelling or the like structure and which may be readily adjusted as required in accordancewith the angle ofapproach of the lead-in wires toward the building to be served thereby.

In accordance with one form of the present invention, the lead-in wire anchor comprises an elongated insulator spreader mounted on the end of a relatively long bracket. The bracket is in turn secured to a bracket support which is adapted to be fixedly secured onto a part of the building such as a sloping roof. An adjustable connection is provided between the bracket and the bracket support whereby the spreader may be adjusted about the longitudinal axis of-the bracket'so as to hold the spreader in the horizontal position. A pivotal connection is also provided between the bracket and the bracket support whereby the insulator spreader and the bracket may pivot freely in the vertical direction and thus automatically align itself with the line exerted thereagainst by the wires. 7

For a consideration of what is believed novel and inventive, attention is directed to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings while the specific features of novelty will be pointed out with greater.

particularity in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating a lead-in wire anchoring fixture constructed in accordance with one form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the anchoring arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in perspective illustrating the anchoring arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in greater detail;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating an alternative form of an adjustment unit which may be incorporated in the modification shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective illustrating an anchoring arrangement constructed in accordance with a further modification of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a view taken along line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a view taken along line l'l of Fig 6.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, the invention therein illustrated comprises an insulator supporting unit including an elongated insulator supporting member or spreader Ill having a plurality of spaced apart insulators l l fixedly secured thereto and adapted to have the ends of electrical power et arms l3 extending rearwardly from the opposite ends of the spreader I0 and converging toward each other, the ends of the arms l3 opposite the spreader I0 being welded to a cross member M. The cross member I4 is provided with a central opening for cooperatively receiving a stud l5 provided with a pair of nuts It for fixedly clamping the cross member I4 therebetween. The opposite end of the stud I5 is provided with an eye I! which is mounted within a clevis 18 by means of a bolt 20. The clevis I8 is welded onto the upper end of the stud 2 I, the stud being in turn welded to the upper surface of a base plate 22. The base plate 22 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 23 arranged around the edge of the plate 22 for reasons which will be pointed out more fully hereinafter.

Referring particularly to the views of Figs. 1 and 2, the lead-in wires l2 are shown extending from a power pole 25, the wires l2 being secured to a plurality of insulators 26 mounted in vertical alignment upon the pole 25 and which is fre-' quently the case. Drop wires 21 spliced onto the lead-in wires ii are shown depending downwardly to the entrance fitting of the service conduit 28 attached to the side wall 29 of the building. In order to maintain a requisite amount of clearance between the lead-in wires I2 and between the drop wires 21 it is important that the insulator spreader H) be maintained in a horizontal position. Because of the fact that the lead-in wires I2 are attached onto the power pole 25 at points in vertical alignment with each other, there will be an inherent tendency for the lead-in wires l2 to exert a force upon the insulator spreader I to twist it into vertical alignment with the insulators 26. To prevent this, the bracket arms I 3 supporting the insulator spreader are relatively rigid and, as shown, are formed of channel shaped iron and the cross member M at the rear end of the supporting bracket arms is securely fastened by means of the nuts it onto the stud l5. While the eye I! mounted by the bolt 20 within the clevis it permits free pivotal movement of the bracket arms 13 in the vertical plane, so as to permit the bracket arms [3 to align themselves with the line of pull exerted thereupon by the lead-in wires 12, the insulator supporting unit cannot twist about its longitudinal axis. I

Occasionally the lead-in wires II will approach a building from the power pole 25 in a direction extending at right angles with respect to a side wall of the building but this is exceptional. Ordi narily power poles are set on adjacent property lines and since buildings are usually centered within the lot, the lead-in wires, in such case, will approach the building at an angle with respect to one of the side walls from one direction or the other as indicated in Fig. 1. It is important that the anchoring arrangement be so mounted upon the roof that the longitudinal axis of the fixture will be aligned with the direction of the lead-in wires l2. The base plate 22 of the fixture should be secured to one of the roof rafters such as the rafter 30, and which always extend at right angles with respect to the side walls of the building. A pair of diametrically opposed holes 23 may be selected for extending a pair of fastening bolts 32 therethrough in alignment with the rafter 33. It would ordinarily be preferred to nail a short length of board 33 onto the side of the rafter 30 selected for mounting the fixture and to extend the bolts 32 through holes formed between the rafter and the reinforcing member 33. Clamping plates 34 may be provided beneath the nuts on thelower ends of the bolts 32.

Depending upon the angle of approach of the lead-in wires l2 and the slope of the roof, the insulator spreader and supporting bracket unit may be adjusted as required in order to position the insulator spreader H) in horizontal alignment with the ground by loosening one or the other of the nuts l6 and then twisting the unit about its longitudinal axis to the desired degree and then retightening the nut so as definitely to lock the unit in the desired position of adjustment.

The bracket arms I3 may be of any desired length and it will usually be preferred that it be of such a length that the insulator supporting member I0 is positioned beyond the edge of the roof, substantially as shown. Usually, by mounting the base plate onto the roof approximately two feet from the edge thereof a suflicient height will be obtained for the lead-in wires to satisfy '4 any code requirements as to height for these wires above ground.

In the modification shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, adjustment of the insulator spreader and bracket unit about the longitudinal axis thereof relative to the base plate is accomplished by loosening one of the nuts l5 upon the stud I5. According to the modification illustrated in Fig. 4, the outer end of the stud I5 is welded as at 38 onto one-half 39 of a spherical unit. The other half 40 of the spherical unit is welded onto the rear ends of the bracket arms l3 and to the bridging or cross member 4|. An opening is provided centrally of the member 4| and the hemispherical part 40 for cooperatively receiving the stud l5 and permitting free longitudinal movement therebetween. The adjacent surfaces of the two hemispherical parts 39 and 40 are notched as indicated at 43. The opposite end of the stud I5 is provided with an eye I! as previously described so that the stud I5 is rigidly held against rota tion about its longitudinal axis. Adjustment of the spreader and bracket arm unit may be effected simply by moving the unit rearwardly upon the stud l5 to disengage the notches and then rotating the unit about its axis until the desired position of adjustment is obtained and then sliding the unit forwardly so as to interengage the notches 43 where they will be fixedly retained due to pull exerted upon the unit by the lead-in wires [2. v

In the modification as previously described, the roof mounting plate 22 is provided with a plurality of holes 23 around the peripheral edge thereof so as to permit fastening of the plate onto a rafter in any required angular position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the spreader as determined by'the angle of approach of the wires. In the modification illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a base mounting plate 5! of rectangular configuration is provided having only a single pair of oppositely disposed holes 52 for cooperatively receiving a pair of bolts for securing the mounting. plate onto a building rafter as previously described. Extending angularly upwardly from the base plate ii and securely welded thereto is a stud 53 having a collar 54 welded thereabout in an upwardly spaced relation above the plate 5| as shown more clearly in the view of Fig. '7. The stud 53 extends upwardly from the plate 5| at an angle corresponding in general to the normal angle of roof pitch of buildings of the type with which the lead-in wire anchoring fixture would generally be used. Obviously, this angle is not critical since it is not necessary that the stud 53 be vertically disposed rection on each of the opposite sides of the mem-.

ber 51 as indicated at 62 whereby the member 51 may be adjusted in the direction radially thereof upon the stud as well as around the stud.

The insulator spreader 55 having insulators 86 mounted thereupon and the rearwardly extending bracket supporting arms 61 are substantially the same as previously described. In this instance the rearward ends of the bracket arms 61 are welded onto each of the opposite sides of a lug 68 which is provided at the end with an opening for cooperatively receiving a bolt 69 securing the same within a clevis ll formed on the forward end of the cylindrical member 51.

In the case of the modification last described, it will be obvious that by virtue of the clevis arrangement 68 and H the insulator supporting unit is free to pivot up and down in a vertical plane at all times whereas in order to effect initial adjustment of the fixture after the plate Si is bolted onto the roof, the nut 69 may be loosened so as to permit the bracket arms to be swung into longitudinal alignment with the lead-in wires i2 extending from the power pole and to permit the unit to be swung about its longitudinal axis so as to bring the spreader 65 into a horizontal plane.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the lead-in wire anchoring fixtures as disclosed in the instant application are compact, pleasing in appearance and are structurally strong and capable of withstanding any load which may be imposed thereupon such as, for example, by ice formation upon the lead-in wires during winter. While the invention has been described with particular reference to the mounting of the anchoring fixture upon the roof of a dwelling, it will be obvious that the apparatus may be otherwise employed and that the fixture base plate may be fixedly secured onto the side of a building or in any other desired location.

In the view of Fig. 2, roofing material such as composition shingles are shown placed over the base plate 22 and sealed in a water-tight manner around the stud 2|. It will be obvious that the base plate 22 may be applied over the roofing material with a suitable gasket provided between the base plate and the roof so as to seal around the openings for the bolts 32 to prevent leakage of water therepast.

Having described the invention in what are considered to be certain preferred embodiments thereof, it is desired that it be understood that the specific details shown are merely illustrative and that the invention may be carried out in other ways Without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A lead-in wire anchor adapted particularly for anchoring lead-in wires onto a sloping roof of a dwelling or the like structure, said anchor comprising an elongated insulator supporting member and a pair of bracket arms extending at right angles thereto from each of the opposite ends thereof, a plurality of spaced apart insulators mounted on said supporting member, a base plate adapted to be fixedly secured onto a roof, and means for securing said bracket arms relative to said base plate including an adjustable connection permitting relative adjustment between said plate and said supporting member about an axis symmetrical with and normal to the longitudinal direction of said supporting member and a pivotal connection independent of and in series relation with said adjustable connection permitting a free pivotal movement of said bracket arms and supporting member relative to said base plate in a plane normal to the longitudinal direction of said supporting member.

2. A lead-in wire anchor adapted particularly for anchoring lead-in wires onto a sloping roof of a dwelling or the like structure, said anchor comprising an elongated insulator supporting member and a pair of bracket arms extending at right angles thereto from each of the opposite ends thereof, a plurality of spaced apart insulators mounted on said supporting member, a base plate adapted to be fixedly secured onto a roof, and means for securing the end of said bracket arms opposite said supporting member relative to said base plate including an adjustable member permitting relative adjustment between said plate and said bracket arms and a pivotal connection independent of said adjustable member permitting a free pivotal movement of said bracket arms and supporting member relative to said base plate in a plane normal to the longitudinal direction of said supporting member.

3. A lead-in wire anchor comprising an elongated insulator supporting member and a pair of bracket arms extending at right angles thereto from each of the opposite ends thereof, a supporting plate adapted to be fixedly secured to a building structure, a stud secured to and extending outwardly from said plate, an adjustable connection for fixedly securing said bracket arms relative to said stud, said connection including a member secured to said bracket arms and rotatable about the axis of said stud as well as about a second axis extending at right angles to the axis of said stud.

4. A lead-in wire anchor comprising an insulator supporting unit including an elongated insulator supporting member having a pair of bracket arms extending at right angles thereto from each of the opposite ends thereof, means for mounting said insulator supporting unit adapted to be fixedly secured to a building structure, and means for attaching said bracket arms to said mounting means, said attaching means including an adjustable connection for fixedly securing the relative position of said supporting member in respect to said mounting means about an axis symmetrical with and normal to the longitudinal direction of said supporting member and a pivotal connection in series relation with said adjustable connection between said bracket arms and said mounting means permitting free pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of said supporting member.

HAROLD K. TRUNNELL.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,268,972 Hendee June 11, 1918 1,575,407 Barmack Mar. 2, 1926 1,802,966 Brady Apr. 28, 1931 

